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Scarlet Crusade
The Scarlet Crusade is a religious organization dedicated to the eradication of the undead. They are a major adversary of the Forsaken, and several quests in Tirisfal Glades involve attacks on Scarlet Crusade troops, leaders, and strongholds. The Scarlet Crusade maintains several bastions throughout the former lands of Lordaeron, namely the Scarlet Monastery, Hearthglen, Tyr's Hand, the fortified cathedral of Stratholme and several smaller camps and watchtowers spread all over the area. General information The Scarlet Crusade is a faction of humanoids, based in the remains of Lordaeron, whose members are bent single-mindedly on wiping all undead from the face of Azeroth. Many of the Scarlet Crusade's members are former Knights of the Silver Hand who personally witnessed loved ones struck down by the Scourge only to rise up again as mindless zombies, attacking friends and family. The flames of these experiences have been fanned by the Crusade's leadership to the point of zealotry approaching madness. Crusaders kill anyone they believe to be undead, any mortal they believe may soon be undead, any mortal they assume to be carrying the plague, mortals who stand between the Crusade and undead, and mortals who may sympathize with undead -- the latter being the way Crusaders tend to interpret any criticism of their methods. Crusaders are the sworn enemies of not only the Scourge, but also the Forsaken, despite the fact that the Forsaken hate the Scourge as much as the Scarlet Crusade does, and for many of the same reasons. Though the Crusade's ranks are mostly human, it is not openly welcomed by the Alliance. However, its mission appeals to most within the Alliance, who generally agree that the undead need to be removed from Lordaeron so her citizens can return home. As news of the Crusaders' rising madness compete with tales of their good deeds and names of heroes amongst their ranks, especially the less informed peasants of regions far away from former Lordaeron still view this organization as a stalwart defender against the undead threat. In part, this is true, as the Crusade has indeed rescued refugees and defended civilian settlements in the Plaguelands many times, including a project to re-settle villages that have been destroyed by the Scourge during the war. Also, Scarlet Crusaders are protecting the Solliden Farmstead and its inhabitants, making it one of the few places in northern Lordaeron where the native farmfolk have survived to this day. Generally, the actions of the Scarlet Crusade are tolerated out of ignorance, and both the Alliance and the Church of Holy Light distance themselves from the Crusade's activities officially, but without trying to interfere. In fact, the Scarlet Crusade, who counts both the Alliance and the Church amongst their allies, maintains contacts to both by several emissaries - examples can be found in the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind and in the Alliance outpost of Nijel's Point. Nevertheless, the Scarlet Crusade has killed countless refugees fleeing the horrors of the Scourge, regarding them as possible carriers of the plague or even undead sympathizers, and their growing zealotry has started to make the Crusade enemies all over Azeroth. Most Crusaders tend to think that anyone unassociated with their cause should have no business in the Plaguelands and thus is behaving suspiciously if he enters this region. Travelers are advised to stay clear of Scarlet Crusaders regardless of whether any undead are in the party. The Scarlet Crusade can be friend or foe, but it is generally the enemy of anyone who cannot prove that he or she is alive — qualifications and interpretation being subject to change without notice. A lot of Crusaders seem to suffer from a dangerous form of paranoia, since they had to learn that every human might possibly be a disguised undead. After Isillien was nearly assassinated by his own page, the Inquisitor stated that if there are any doubts regarding an individual, it would be better to assume it's an undead and kill it rather than risking infiltration. The same goes for plague-infected refugees, since up to this day the priests and paladins are still unable to cure them. Although this strategy may (rightly) seem gruesome, it has successfully prevented the plague - and with it, the Scourge - from expanding all over Azeroth. Despite its excesses, the Crusade is a powerful force in the eastern kingdoms, having already destroyed several undead strongholds in Lordaeron and defeated a number of dangerous Liches as well as the Dreadlord Beltheris. They are expected to continue battling until either the Scourge are driven from Lordaeron or the Crusade itself is destroyed. History of the Crusade Early History After Sir Uther Lightbringer was betrayed and killed by his former apprentice Arthas, the Order of the Knights of the Silver Hand was decimated by the Scourge's undead armies and ceased to exist. The few surviving Knights of the Silver Hand remained in Lordaeron, destroying what undead they could. Among the survivors were the high-ranking officers Isillien, Abbendis and Mograine. They recruited warriors to their holy cause of eradicating the undead. They were soon joined by the paladin Taelan Fordring, one of Isillien's protégés, who offered his family's keep and lands as a base of operations for the Crusade. After a month-long quarantine of the warriors and priests to ensure that there were no Scourge infiltrators, the Scarlet Crusade began hunting the undead in earnest. Abbendis took most of the Crusaders with her to Tyr's Hand in the Eastern Plaguelands, from which the Crusade struck at the undead controlling the city of Stratholme, once the headquarters of the Knights of the Silver Hand. Not long after its formation, the Crusade attempted a strike against the Scourge base in Northrend, and built a fleet specifically for that purpose. The attempt failed, although the Crusaders reached as far as the mouth of Icecrown Glacier. There were many casualties among the high ranks of the Crusade, including its first and only Grand Admiral, first Captain General and first Chief Assassin. A group of maddened zealots so dedicated to the removal of all undead that they commonly attack the living. The priest Isillien was formerly a priest of the Holy Light in Lordaeron, assigned to be the liaison for the Knights of the Silver Hand. There he worked closely with High General Abbendis and his youthful charges, tutoring the young paladins in their quest for truth. Priests and paladins fought as the Scourge attacked the city, but they fled as Lordaeron fell around them. Some whisper it was the wounds both men received in battle, or perhaps just the shock of seeing their whole purpose destroyed, but since that day both Isillien and Abbendis have been quite insane. Isillien and Abbendis wandered the area as the Scourge defiled the land, destroying what undead they could, gathering what warriors would join them. They had but one concern: eradication of all that had destroyed Lordaeron. They were joined by young Taelan Fordring, one of Isillien’s protégés, who adored his tutor and his general. He offered his family’s keep and land, untouched by the undead, for their base of operations. The Crusade gained members whose lives had been ruined by the Scourge. Most members have seen a loved one die and, more often than not, be raised to fight alongside her murderer. Isillien became the spokesman for the group, his ravings gaining more followers than repelling them — and who could argue with the man that the undead were evil? Some had reason to pause when Isillien’s young page was found with Isillien’s knife through his heart, and the priest calmly reported that the page had died that afternoon while hunting, and the undead had raised him and sent him back as an assassin. He was so convincing that the incident cemented the fear for most: if a freshly killed and raised undead can look just like a regular human, they had no idea who among them may or may not be with the Scourge. After a month of quarantine, all priests and warriors with the Crusade were declared clean. Abbendis and Isillien felt that although they had a good base, they really needed to attack the Scourge where they were the thickest: in the Eastern Plaguelands. Isillien took on the title of Grand Inquisitor and control of the Western Crusade, while Abbendis led the majority of the forces to Tyr’s Hand in the east to strike at Stratholme. As they established their bases and took in many more warriors, they destroyed any undead they found. Frequently, groups of refugees fleeing the undead also fell beneath their furious swords. As the Grand Inquisitor claims, one cannot be too careful. All undead — good, evil or neutral, Scourge or forsaken — are the rivals of the Scarlet Crusade. The undead are abominations and must be destroyed before the land and the people can heal. They count the Alliance and the Church of Holy Light as their allies, but these organizations quickly distance themselves from these fanatics, and instruct all travelers to give a wide berth to any Crusaders. thumb|Symbol of the Light, Scarlet Crusade variation Organization The Scarlet Crusade is structured much like the military. Abbendis and Isillien are the leaders, with Abbendis the official head of the Scarlet Crusade. He considers himself the arm of the Crusade while Isillien is the heart. Abbendis guides the military attacks of the Crusade from Tyr’s Hand in the Eastern Plaguelands, communicating frequently with Isillien, who guides the priests in the Crusade in their new roles as inquisitors, based in the Western Plaguelands. He is in charge of questioning undead and mortals alike to ferret out whatever Information he can on the movement and settlement of the undead. Abbendis acts as the leader of the priests and guides the inquisitions in the east while Isillien controls the warriors through his impressionable paladin Taelan in the west. The Crusade has thirteen generals leading the lower ranks: 2,000 troops based in Hearthglen and 10,000 based in Tyr’s Hand. The generals were not only chosen by the ranks they had in the war, but also by their dedication to the cause. Few make it very high in the ranks if they do not have a burning fervor to destroy all undead. Veterans who have fought the Scourge before are quickly promoted. Any dissent in the ranks is considered to be caused by undead infiltration, for the Crusade cannot fathom a reasonable mortal having any disagreement with the elimination of the undead. Such individuals are considered to be undead themselves, or worse, deranged undead sympathizers. Thus the organization of the Scarlet Crusade is flawless, as the crusaders work with one mind towards one goal. If they do not work with total agreement, it is at least complete fear of their superiors that keeps them in line. An elite force of the Crusade is the Crimson Legion, led by the Grand Crusader himself. Throughout the Scarlet Crusade, three different symbols are persistent. The Crusade's official banner is a modified flag of Lordaeron, with the "L" painted in red to symbolize the blood of the living. This "L" letter looks like "C" on the Scarlet Crusade flags. The modified Symbol of the Light seems to mark sanctuaries and holy places. Additionaly, whilst the organization counts many non-combatants and line soldiers amongst its ranks, real Crusaders can be identified by the Scarlet Flame on their tabard. Membership Membership in the Scarlet Crusade is high, relative to the human population of the region. The strong sense of abandonment, futility and fear runs high in all humans on Lordaeron, and the Scarlet Crusade feeds that fear with reassurance that the evil will fall while the good remain untainted. The Crusade attracts mostly warriors, people who find in this post-war state that living by the sword is the only way to survive. They feel the need for a strong community where their skills will be utilized, and the Scarlet Crusade maintains that they need strong warriors for their cause. Some priests are drawn to the righteous eradication of the undead, but they often see the Crusade for the zealots they are and rethink their entry. This, of course, is considered suspicious, and they are often slain for their misgivings. The biggest problem prospective members encounter is assuring the Crusaders that they are not undead themselves. Since the Grand Inquisitor was almost killed by his own page (so the story goes), the group is incredibly paranoid about the undead infiltrating their ranks. The supposedly common knowledge that undead are hideously deformed and easy to discern from the living makes no difference to these people; they believe necromancers are capable of disguising the undead as living. Thus, new members (if they survived alerting the Crusade to their desire to join) are quarantined for 30 days to see if they begin to exhibit signs of the plague or being an undead. They are visited by the Grand Inquisitor or the High General during this time and are “questioned.” No Scarlet Crusader discusses his quarantine and initiation. Membership is comprised chiefly of humans of the warrior, paladin and priest professions. Locations The Western Crusade’s headquarters are in the rural area of Hearthglen, the inheritance of Taelan Fordring. Their main headquarters are in the Eastern Plaguelands in Tyr’s Hand, a small community hosting the newly built Scarlet Monastery, a massive building that draws refugees looking for safety. Most Crusaders are based in Tyr's Hand where Isillien has declared the Eastern Plaguelands to be the focus of the Crusade's attacks. In the ruins of Stratholme the Scarlet Crusade has established a more or less permanent foothold from which it wages constant battle upon the Scourge within the city. They also maintain a stronghold at Hearthglen, and in eastern Tirisfal Glades the Scarlet Monastery serves as a training and research center. Relations The Alliance races have many problems currently, the greatest of which is the loss of their homeland to the undead, the Horde, the demons and various monsters. Their once proud populations are either dead, undead or in hiding. They don’t even have much of a base to call their own except for the remote city of Stormwind, too far away to deal with the problems of Lordaeron with any real effectiveness. The elimination of the Scourge is any reasonable mortal’s goal, but the Scarlet Crusade considers the many mortals it kills in its quest as acceptable losses. To the Alliance, the Crusade’s single-mindedness is madness. So, no, the Alliance does not condone the Scarlet Crusade’s actions, but sees the problems caused by this organization as akin to having a stain on your shirt while your house is on fire. Until the greater problems are dealt with and the homeland is retaken, the Crusade will be free to act as it wishes. Corruption from Within There are those that claim that the Scarlet Crusade now has a more sinister purpose, that it is being used for darker reasons than the honorable - if misguided - cause of clearing the Plaguelands from the taint of the Scourge. This may be correct, as not only was Highlord Mograine betrayed and murdered by his own son, but also the Crusade is actually headed by the Dreadlord Balnazzar, possessing the body of Grand Crusader Saiden Dathrohan. thumb|Devotion or Madness? No one in the crusade is aware that Dathrohan is a demon - they simply believe him to be a holy knight obsessed with the destruction of the undead. To maintain his charade, Balnazzar keeps a low profile, letting Isillien and Abbendis run the Scarlet Crusade. His agents actively recruit new members for the crusade, and his ranks grow steadily. Should anyone find out his true nature, however, the Scarlet Crusade could potentially fall apart overnight ... and the undead would become the only power in the Plaguelands. Some Crusaders who have begun sensing the corruption within the Crusade have left the ranks of the order to found the Argent Dawn. These warriors are generally regarded as traitors by the Scarlet Crusade, especially since the Argent Dawn also counts Forsaken amongst its ranks - but Kel'Thuzad's recent assault on Azeroth has forced the two organizations into a reluctant alliance with each other. Both sides have been able to shelve their mutual dislike in order to fight back the new horrors of the Scourge in Naxxramas, but tensions are high and there is only a superficial allegiance between them. Speculation Sanctioned? Interestingly, whereas Commander Marjhan points out the cooperation of her troops with the Argent Dawn is not sanctified by the Grand Crusader, she also makes clear that she is not acting on her own but has been sent to help. Since Isillien is already dead at this point, this leaves only High General Abbendis as a possible source of this order. It might be that the General is now starting to secretly work against the Grand Crusader, maybe influenced by the recent death of her long-time partner Isillien and/or a rising suspicion against the Grand Crusader. Argent Dawn Argent Dawn despite it's "Alliance" with the Scarlet Crusade seems to hate the Scarlet Crusade more then the Scourge. At the Chillwind Camp Nathaniel Dumah tells you how he fled from the Scourge when they attacked his family's Lumber Mill, and when the Scarlet Crusade drove them all away he returned for revenge against the Scarlet Crusade. At the same time Duke Nicholas Zverenhoff seems to also want to undermine the Scarlet Crusade in the face of an overwhelming Scourge offensive. This seems illogical if the Scourge really is in a position to sweep aside all opposition, to destroy its most dedicated enemy during the offensive. Why people who claim that they have only one goal, destroying the Scourge would want to destroy their only reliable official ally in that quest during a vital battle against a Scourge offensive seems to indicate the Scourge might not have as much power as is generally thought, especially because Duke Nicholas Zverenhoff also says that the Scarlet Crusade isn't doing any good for anybody. On the other hand if the Scourge is as World of Warcraft and players say it is this could just indicate that the Argent Dawn is not as pure as it believes itself to be. Leadership? Korfax references idiocy and a lack of leadership in the Scarlet Crusade, which may indicate the Balnazzar really has been doing nothing and High General Abbendis and Grand Inquisitor Isillien have sole leadership of the Crusade, as if there was no Grand Crusader. Notable Members of the Scarlet Crusade Leadership, Upper Echelon Leadership, Lower Echelon Priestly Branch Military Branch * Scarlet Commander Marjhan * Scarlet Commander Mograine * Lord Paladin Harthal Truesight (Missing in Action) * High Protector Lorik * High Protector Tarsen * Cavalier Durgen * Ranger-Captain Fellari Swiftarrow (Missing in Action) * Captain Melrache * Captain Perrine * Captain Vachon * Scarlet Champion Herod * Cannon Master Willey * Houndmaster Loksey * Huntsman Leopold * Huntsman Radley * Dorgar Stonebrow (Missing in Action) * Holia Sunshield (Killed in Action) * Meven Korgal * Valea Twinblades (Missing in Action) Others * High Wizard Arellas Fireleaf (Missing in Action) * Archivist Galford * Arcanist Doan * Chief Assassin Invar One-Arm (Missing in Action) * Chief Assassin Yana Bloodspear (Missing in Action) * Assassin Rohan * Interrogator Vishas * Foreman Jerris * Foreman Marcrid Category:Factions Category:Organizations Category:Lore Category:Scarlet Crusade